Zombies

For years we have been hearing how The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead were two separate shows but a month ago at New York Comic Con, Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman teased that there would indeed be a crossover between the two shows. This announcement caused a flurry of predictions on the internet since no details were given on who, when, or which show in the Deadverse would host a familiar guest.

On Sunday night, however, fans finally got some answers as Chris Hardwick announced on The Talking Dead that the crossover character was TWD’s Morgan (Lennie James). What followed more resembled sizzle than steak: James gave an emotional farewell speech to fans and cast members alike while acknowledging that his FTWD filming would begin the next morning down in Austin, Texas. But while it all had a whiff on finality, Hardwick tried to soothe fans with a statement from TWD showrunner Scott M. Gimple that essentially begged viewers to forget James’ seeming farewell while promising that there was more story to tell for Morgan on the flagship show. Which, okay, but how much and what does it matter now that it seems like he’s a marked man?

We still have no idea exactly when, in Morgan’s (mostly established) timeline, his FTWD appearance will occur. Will the death of Morgan’s son Duane still seem fresh? Will he be the rage-filled killer he was before he met Eastman? Or will he be channeling the zen moves that Eastman taught him? He’s already been on a hell of a journey, going mad, resisting the pull to kill, and kind of going crazy again. Will seeing the seeds of that be compelling with knowledge of where he will wind up so fresh in the mind?

Morgan’s story isn’t the easiest to work into FTWD. There were plenty of other options that would have made more sense or pleased show fans. Some were sure that they’d see Abraham return from being pummeled to death by Negan and his bat, Lucille. FTWD is moving to Texas and Abraham did have ties to the area. But maybe the creative brain trust didn’t want to do something so obvious (or maybe Michael Cudlitz was busy). Others thought Madison would continue to turn from protective mom to unruly killer, but was it really realistic to assume FTWD could shed Kim Dickens or that her schedule would accommodate double duty? Additionally, the show could have even fleshed out the origin story of one of its popular big bads, exploring Negan or The Governor’s past.

All shows have rules and patterns but it’s hard to know sometimes with The Walking Dead, which means it can be hard to get a read on where they’re going — which is a joy and a frustration. That’s the kind of reputation you get when you play with viewers’ emotions and either fake deaths (as with Glenn and the dumpster before he went down for real) or resist giving characters a definitive end so as to seemingly have the chance to walk back their deaths. It’s Travis falling out of a helicopter with a bullet wound or not seeing Lori’s body. And the increasing ridiculousness of Maggie’s non-existant baby bump. Afterall you can have your leg chopped off, your eye stabbed with glass, be shot in the head and still live to fight zombies. Why wouldn’t Morgan be capable of entering a show based halfway across the country in the middle of the Apocalypse despite being grounded in the world of his old show?

In the end, Morgan may just be the tip of the iceberg of characters crossing over. Especially if ratings respond. Who knows, maybe the FTWD cast will start to infiltrate the flagship at some point. TWD is getting to the point where ratings are dropping a little and after 8 seasons, it’s possible that costs may start to lead to a few (more) painful goodbyes. All of this is wild speculation, but what more does the WalkingDead-verse leave us to do but watch, wait, and wonder if this is really the best move for both shows or simply another random thing that may or not work out and may not even make sense when held under a microscope.

These days, it seems that everything is all about zombies. Okay, maybe not everything, but there is no way zombie fiction would be as popular as it is today were it not for the work of Hollywood legend George A. Romero, who passed away on the 17th of July. Romero’s Night of the Living Deadfilms helped to launch a genre and changed horror and science fiction forever. Before Romero, zombies weren’t really a thing. Frankenstein’s Monster was pretty much the end-all-be-all of “zombies” until the dead truly began to walk and munch on brains. Now, after Romero’s death, Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead has created a moving tribute.

As we are now in an age where zombies are a part of the public lexicon with such shows as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and movies like Zombieland and countless others, it’s worth nothing that they pretty much wouldn’t exist without George Romero. The famed Canadian-American director gave us Night of the Living Dead way back in 1968, and it was not only ground breaking for introducing the zombie genre, but also made his zombie films talk about various issues hidden within their layers: race relations, consumerism, and militarism. The famed director is responsible for other horror gems like The Crazies, Creepshow, Monkey Shines, and the subsequent zombie sequels: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead.

The audience for AMC’s The walking Deadis huge. Bigger even than the shambling multitude of corpses that chase its protagonists around our screens every Sunday night. Now that the show has earned its well-deserved eighth season renewal, there’s no reason to think that the end is in anywhere near in sight. The story of the intrepid band of beleaguered survivors battling undead hordes can’t be contained in a paltry eight seasons. In fact, as Show runner Scott Gimple recently hinted, It can’t even be contained by the small screen.

After the losses of the season premiere, it feels as though we are going through something akin to the 5 stages of grief when it comes to The Walking Dead. Last week, we were all still pretty depressed. This week, however, feels closer to acceptance than anything else. Acceptance comes as the audience realizes that The Walking Dead has a rhythm and pace that we all know. Some love it, while others hate it. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, you know that after a strong opener, The Walking Dead will now spend a number episodes explaining what is going on. In the case of episode 3, we were treated to an interesting view of what Daryl was going through as a prisoner of Negan. (more…)

Wow. The Walking Dead premiered its seventh season last night. For those who don’t remember, last season’s finale introduced the much talked about, but never seen villain, Negan. Last season also ended on one of the most depressing and anxiety-inducing cliffhangers in television history. The audience knew that Negan brutally clubbed one of the series regulars to death with his barbed wire bat affectionately named “Lucille”, but what the audience did not know was which character met their untimely end. (more…)

Ever since it’s release in 2009, whispers in the halls have teased the possibility of the Zombieland story continuing, but with every dashed hope fans continued to stuff their proverbial sadness with Twinkies. Well fans can stop their emotional eating, because during AMC’s Geeking Out with Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg, Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese provided an update on Zombieland 2.

There’s a new trailer out in the UK for director Colm McCarthy‘s (Pinky Blinders season 2) adaptation of M.R. Carey‘s The Girl With All The Gifts that might help expand the zombie genre. The trailer does exactly what a trailer should do, tell us just enough to get us interested and leave the rest for the theater. If you’re tired of the same old zombie movies that we’ve all gotten a little frustrated with, The Girl With All The Gifts looks like the film that may bring back the zombie love. (more…)

While scavenging for supplies and ways for the group to survive, Eugene and Abraham have a come to Jesus meeting. Daryl and Rosita take Denise for a joyride to show her what the real world looks like. What she discovers leaves her with emotions she isn’t sure how to deal with. Daryl and Rosita learn a thing or two from Denise as well. Spoiler Alert in 5…4…3…2…1.

Rick and the crew have a town meeting to determine how best to save Alexandria. The crew end relationships, solidify relationships and start a few new ones. If you haven’t watched tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead, stop reading now. There are major spoilers ahead for those who are not caught up. If you have already caught up with this season, or are the type to torture yourself with what you have missed out on, please by all means continue reading. Spoilers in 5…4…3….2….1. (more…)

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